Chapter 23.740 — Public Utilities

The purpose of this chapter is to provide uniform standards and regulations for the undergrounding of all utilities serving the public and to identify the requirements for public water and sewer service.

(Ord. 27-2008 § 1 (Exh. A § 4.14.010); Ord. 12-2011 § 3 (Exh. A); Ord. 4-2017 § 3 (Exh. B))

• A. Underground Utilities.

  1. New Developments. In new development areas (e.g., greenfield) of the city, all utilities, including but not limited to electrical (60 kilovolts or less), telephone, cable television, and similar distribution lines, shall be installed underground. The council

may grant exceptions for new rural residential or estate residential projects as part of the proposed development application.

2. Existing Developments. In existing areas of the city where utilities (e.g., electrical, telephone, cable television) have not been undergrounded, the following rules shall apply:

   • a. When feasible, for an existing development that is being comprehensively redeveloped or where additional building square footage totaling 25 percent or more of the existing gross floor area is being added, all utility lines on the project site and having the capacity to serve the project (e.g., connecting to the buildings on site) shall be undergrounded. "Comprehensively redeveloped" shall mean any instance where a demolition permit has or would be issued for a minimum of 50 percent of the existing building area.

   • b. For development with less than 500 feet of public frontage or where utilities are located within a dedicated public utility easement, the project proponent may elect to pay an in-lieu fee as established by council resolution, provided the project has been designed to the satisfaction of the public works director such that the project can be easily improved at such time as the utilities are undergrounded.

• B. Public Utilities Required. As stated in RCMC § 22.24.630 (Water and sewer requirements), all lots in the city are required to have public water and sewer service. Exempted from this requirement are lots zoned agricultural (AG-80, AG-20), rural residential (RR), or estate residential (ER), except that estate residential lots are encouraged to have public water and sewer if the service is immediately available to the individual lot or in proximity to a new estate residential development/ subdivision.

(Ord. 27-2008 § 1 (Exh. A § 4.14.020); Ord. 12-2011 § 3 (Exh. A); Ord. 4-2017 § 3 (Exh. B))